25381 State Route 58
Wellington, OH 44090-9208
440-647-4490
866-644-6727 for camping
and getaway rental reservations

Park Map | Campground Map

Friends of Findley State Park

Once a state forest, Findley State Park is heavily wooded with stately pines and various hardwoods. The scenic hiking trails allow nature lovers to view spectacular wildflowers and observe wildlife. The fields, forests and quiet waters offer a peaceful refuge for visitors.

Camping

• 90 electric sites
• 181 non-electric sites
• Showers, flush toilets, laundry facilities, dump station, game room and a fully stocked camp store
• Pet camping is permitted on designated sites
• Playground equipment, and a recreation area with sand volleyball, a basketball court and two horseshoe pits are available for camper use
• Nature center and gameroom located in the campground
• Walk-in, organized group camp area accommodates 40 people. Contact the park office for details.

Getaway Rentals

• 3 "Conestoga" camper cabins are available from April through October 

Boating

• Boating with electric motors only is permitted on the 93-acre lake.
• Two launch ramps provide access to the lake.
• Canoes, rowboats, paddleboats and 2-person kyaks can be rented at the marina.

Hunting and Fishing

• Hunting for migratory waterfowl only is permitted in designated areas.
• The lake is well stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill and crappie.
• A valid Ohio hunting and/or fishing license is required.

Trails

• Approximately 16 miles of hiking trails, including a portion of the statewide Buckeye Trail, allow nature lovers to explore various habitats.
• Mountain biking is permitted on all trails, weather permitting. Bicycle helmets are highly recommended.
• A scenic loop trail through diverse habitats starts and ends at the camp check-in building.
• Findley State Park offers a single track 8 mile loop (see map in .pdf format) which has challenges for both novices and experts. Bicycle helmets are highly recommended.
• The trail offers level terrain through heavily wooded areas as well as steep short climbs, fast winding sections, bank turns and north shore obstacles.
• Novice riders can pass by these areas.
• The trail can be accessed from many locations throughout the park.
• The official start is at the north end of the park at the dam parking lot.

Swimming

• 435-foot beach with a concession

Picnicking

• Picnic areas are located in scenic areas around the park.
• A picnic shelter complete with electricity is available by reservation. Contact the park office for details.

More To Do

• Disc golf course

Area Attractions

• Wellington State Wildlife Area contains 200 acres adjacent to the park. This land is managed by the ODNR Division of Wildlife for public hunting. Spencer State Wildlife Area in nearby Spencer offers 548 acres of land and a 70-acre lake open for public hunting and fishing
• Two state nature preserves are located within a 40-minute drive. Fowler Woods, southwest of the park near Ashland, offers visitors mature beech-maple woodlands and buttonbush swamps. Old Woman Creek, along Lake Erie east of Huron, consists of open water estuary, marshland, a 15-acre wooded island, barrier beach and other upland habitat. The hiking trails and observation deck are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., April through October. The visitor center and research complex is open year-round, 1-5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday
• For more information on area attractions, contact the Lorain County Visitors Bureau at 800-334-1673 or the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism at 800-BUCKEYE.

Nature of the Area

The forest floor supports a variety of woodland wildflowers including spring beauties, Dutchman's breeches, hepatica, bloodroot, marsh marigold, trillium and woodland asters. White-tailed deer, red fox, beaver and raccoon are just a few of the animals that make this park their home. A variety of reptiles and amphibians can be found along the lakeshore. One area of the park is set aside as a sanctuary for the Duke's skipper butterfly, an extremely rare insect.

History of the Area

Long before the first settlers arrived in this area, the Erie Indians inhabited the area now known as Lorain County. Although the Eries were fierce warriors, they were eventually subdued by a confederation formed between other Iroquois tribes in the early 1600s using firearms obtained from the Dutch.

In 1795, the Treaty of Greenville set aside the lands north of the treaty line as a reserve for Indians. Much of the land restricted by the treaty had previously been granted to Connecticut. This claim, known as the Connecticut Western Reserve, ran along Lake Erie from the Pennsylvania border to present-day Erie County and included more than 3.5 million acres. The Connecticut Land Company, after purchasing some of the land, disputed the Indian claims and petitioned the government for the right to establish settlements on Indian lands. In 1800, Connecticut and the Congress agreed to attach the lands in dispute to the Ohio Territory as a county.

The threat of Indians still existed in the area, so settlement was slow. In 1807, a major settlement was established at the mouth of the Black River which later became the city of Lorain. That same year, the Connecticut Land Company sold 4,000 acres of land of what was to become Wellington Township to four men from Berkshire County, Massachusetts. In the winter of 1818 the four men were joined by William T. Welling of Montgomery County, New York. Following an Indian trail, they cut their way through to the area that became known as Wellington.

Wellington today has a rich heritage. Almost seventy-five percent of the downtown district is included on the National Register of Historic Places, reflecting the New England influence in the architecture. Many industries flourished during the mid-1800s, most notably brickyards, wagon and carriage shops. Later, it shared the reputation of being one of the greatest cheese producing locations in the Union. Lorain County generated annually the equivalent of one pound of cheese for each man, woman and child in the state. Wellington was also the home of Archibald M. Willard, painter of the classic "Spirit of 76." A copy of the work and many Willard originals hang in the town library.

Located two miles south of Wellington is a tract of agricultural land purchased in 1936 and 1937 by Guy B. Findley, Lorain County Common Pleas Judge. Judge Findley donated the land to the state of Ohio to be maintained as a perpetual state forest, utilized for timber production and forest product experiments.

Findley Forest was planted by the Division of Forestry with extensive assistance from the Civilian Conservation Corps with nearly half a million trees including many varieties of pine and hardwoods. In 1950, the forest was transferred to the Division of Parks and Recreation to be maintained as a state park. An earthen dam, started in 1954 and completed in 1956, created the lake.

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